


After The Game

by jlillymoon



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-05
Updated: 2014-07-05
Packaged: 2018-02-07 12:41:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1899417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jlillymoon/pseuds/jlillymoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A/U from TSoT where the client doesn't come and Sherlock and John have a conversation after the Riza Game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After The Game

Sherlock waved his hand around the sitting room of the flat. " This is my domain." he said to John. John giggled as he sagged further into his chair. They had returned from their attempt at a pub crawl. But Sherlock had been so Sherlock in the pubs, that John started doing a shot for each beer he and Sherlock consumed. John was usually better at holding his alcohol, but Sherlock had no tolerance what so ever. John was well past tipsy and approaching very drunk. He swirled the twelve year old scotch in his hand and noted the scent it brought up to his nose.  
"So what?" he slurred at Sherlock.  
"I am the king and this is my castle."  
"What the bloody hell are you getting on about?"  
Sherlock let out a short snorty laugh. "What I am getting on about it that this is my castle. I am the king."  
"We were playing a game." Sherlock narrowed his eyes are John.  
"I know we were. But I won." Sherlock sat back in his chair and looked at John. He had a look of smug satisfaction on his face. John pressed his lips into a thin line.  
"And how do you figure you won?" John asked.  
"I figured out who I am."  
"Would you like to share the answer with me?" John asked. He felt as if he had missed something.  
"I already told you. I'm you." He grinned as if he were a child who figured out where the candy was hidden.  
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but you couldn't be more wrong." Sherlock reached up and pulled the scrap of paper off of his forehead. He held it in his fingers and tried to allow his sea blue eyes to focus on it.   
"Sherlock Holmes?" he asked, his tone incredulous.  
"Yes." John removed his own tag and chuckled. Madonna. Sherlock didn't know who she was. John crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the fire place.  
"Oh." Sherlock said. He closed his eyes for a moment, swaying a bit as his internal equilibrium fought for control over the alcohol in his blood stream. He opened and closed his mouth twice in the attempt to say something.  
"Spit it out, already." John said, watching his best friend.  
"Exactly how inebriated are you?" Sherlock asked.  
"A fair bit, why?"  
"How much are you likely to remember in the morning?"  
"At this moment? Everything. I'm not that drunk. Why?" John was getting suspicious.  
"Never mind then." Sherlock said. He seemed suddenly deflated.  
John watched Sherlock for a moment and almost dropped his drink when Sherlock suddenly opened his eyes and stared right at John. John felt warm and shivery at the same time. It was rare that Sherlock scrutinized him like this and it was always a little creepy.  
"Sherlock..." John said. Sherlock leaned forward in his seat a bit. John swallowed and felt a bit off. He wasn't sure why. It wasn't the drinks. Suddenly he felt stone cold sober. "Just tell me..." he cleared his throat and continued " just tell me what you want to say. There is nothing you can't say to me, you understand that, right?" Sherlock nodded in response to the question, but didn't speak.  
John was good at being patient. He was good at out waiting Sherlock when he needed to be. He licked his lips and sat back in his chair, having resumed sitting up right. His pink tongue darted out from between his lips again.   
"Don't do that again." Sherlock growled. John froze and looked at Sherlock. John had been on the loosing side of several of Sherlock's outbursts before, but after having such a wonderful night, he was in no mood for his former flatmates outburst and mercurial moods. John sat up straighter and squared his shoulders.  
"We were having a great a night. It was fun. But never again will I get you drunk. The mood swings are bad enough when you are sober, but they are down right unpredictable. So, now either apologize, and mean it or I am off to bed." Sherlock looked shocked. His face soften after a moment and John felt a bit guilty for a moment. He ducked his eyes and stared at his folded hands in his lap. Sherlock closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.  
"John." he said quietly. "I do apologize for my outburst."  
"Thank you" John managed. He relaxed a bit, but wasn't sure that Sherlock was finished with his statement.  
" John, I..." Sherlock swallowed and opened his eyes. He needed to see John's face. "I was only going to tell you this if there was even a small possibility that you couldn't remember it in the morning. But I needed to tell you. I need to tell you." he corrected.  
"Tell me what?" John asked. He felt nervous suddenly.  
"I have watched a lot of crap tellie, thanks to you. I have seen what telling the truth can do to a friendship and I only wanted to tell you something if there was the possibility that you wouldn't remember. I don't want to loose you."  
"I'm not going anywhere." John said,. He looked at Sherlock and noted something akin to fear in his friends eyes. John swallowed and licked his lips. Sherlock moaned a bit. John felt the side of his mouth begin to curl up in a small smile.  
"Please don't lick your lips again." Sherlock said. "You have no idea..." he let the rest of the statement fall on the floor. John pulled his lips tight across his mouth and gave a slight nod. He suddenly was hyper aware of every movement of his body and wondered what else might have an effect on his former flatmate.  
"I never realized. I thought that you... I... you said you were married to your work." John finally spit out.  
"True. I did indeed say that." Sherlock agreed. "But things change."  
"That they do." John huffed out a breath. He shook his head to clear away the cob webs of the last remaining drunkenness and looked Sherlock in the eyes. " What do you need to tell me?" he asked softly.  
"Don't marry her."  
"Why not?"  
"Because she doesn't love you like I do." John nodded.  
"You had your chance. We lived together for almost two years. And then you left."  
"I had to leave. To save you. To save Lestrade. Mrs. Hudson. You would have all died if I hadn't." Sherlock said. It was an old argument between them.  
"I know." John said. He scrubbed his face with his hands. "I do know, Sherlock."  
"I hoped that I could have one last night with you. Not with 'John and Mary' the one named being you are about to become. I had hoped that there was one night that could find itself into the locked room of John in my memory palace to go along with all the others. To have one single thing to hang onto for the times when I am alone and you are with the person you married." John felt the sting of tears in his eyes. He leaned forward and fell to his knees. "But it's too late now." Sherlock closed his eyes as John rested his hand on Sherlock's thigh.  
"It's never too late." John said. Sherlock shook his head.  
"You are engaged. You made a commitment to Mary. I didn't do anything and now it's too late for us." John felt the hot salty tear run down his face and noticed that Sherlock had put his hand on top of his own.  
"It's not." John said. "I've only asked a question. I made an offer. But there is no commitment yet. I have not made a vow."  
"You asked her to spend of your lives together."  
"And I can rescind the offer." John said. He turned his hand over and laced his fingers through Sherlock's. Sherlock gripped John's hand tighter.  
"And why would you do that?"  
"Because, you git, I love you. I have for a long time. And I would rather be a 'bachelor' in order to spend time with the person I love, than marry a woman who I care about."  
Sherlock smiled and shook his head. "I thin that you are an idiot." John smiled and looked at Sherlock.  
"So are you." John leaned up on his knees and his lips met Sherlock's. After a moment John moaned a bit into the kiss and opened his lips to allow Sherlock's tongue purchase and Sherlock threaded his hands into John's hair.   
John leaned his forehead against Sherlock's after a moment to catch his breath. "I love you." Sherlock said. John smiled and pulled his hand onto the back of Sherlock's neck, twining his fingers into the curls at his nape.  
"What the bloody hell am I going to say to Mary?" Sherlock let out a laugh.  
"Tell her you can't get married, as the love of your life came back from the dead." John smirked and kissed Sherlock again.  
"And I have been with him for years." John kissed Sherlock again and allowed all his worry to float away with each kiss.  
Years later, John would recall the night of his first stag night while out with Greg Lestrade for a few pints in celebration of Greg's first grandchild. Sherlock smiled at the memory.   
"A bit bizarre, but it was a perfect stag night. That night I got married to the man I now call my husband." John said. Sherlock brought John's hand to his lips and kissed it, the light from the bar glinting off the wedding band on John hand. John smiled and Greg raised a pint at him.


End file.
